Microsoft Azure

Hello there, You wake up tomorrow and the UK government, your bank, or our hospital systems is offline. Not hackers, but a foreign company, or a foreign leader decided to flip a switch. This isn’t science fiction. When President Trump wanted to punish the International Criminal Court, the US sanction regime forced Microsoft to block the court’s emails. That’s the reality of being dependent on foreign tech. Join ORG and James Baker, ORG’s Platform Power and Free Expression Program Manager, **for an evening of discussion on the Cyber Security Bill, digital sovereignty, open-source alternatives, and the latest updates on ORG’s work.** **Sign up here:** [https://supporters.openrightsgroup.org/civicrm/event/register/?reset=1&id=5](https://supporters.openrightsgroup.org/civicrm/event/register/?reset=1&id=5)

**Ursula Blythe - The Philosophy of Grief: Love, loss, and the so-called human condition** ATTEND IN PERSON OR ON ZOOM Can Philosophy Inform Grief? Death is part of the human condition, yet we tend to avoid the subject in everyday conversations and philosophical discourse. Engaging with Grief reminds people of their own inevitable losses and demise during their life-cycle. However, death remains a curious mystery where our sense of loss and confusion is somehow out of our control. This phenomena generates the concept and real-life experience of Grief itself. As a starting point, it is important to understand or appreciate: Why we avoid the topic of Grief, particularly across Western cultures? Indeed, there are many social, psychological, and philosophical reasons for avoiding the discussion of Grief. As a prelude to my talk, I have signposted some significant examples of why we may avert discussions of Grief, as follows: Emotional Discomfort: Grief is an intensely painful and overwhelming emotion. Discussing it openly can make both the grieving person and others feel uncomfortable, as it forces an acknowledgment of vulnerability and mortality. Fear of Saying the Wrong Thing: Many folks are unsure of what to say or how to support someone who is grieving. They fear causing further pain or appearing insensitive which often leads them to avoid the elephant in the room! Social Norms and Stigma: Western culture often emphasises resilience and “moving on” quickly. So, open displays of intense emotions, especially prolonged sadness can be seen as a sign of weakness or an inability to cope, leading to avoidance of the subject. Lack of Personal Experience: If an individual has not experienced a significant loss themselves, they may struggle to empathise or appreciate the depth of another’s pain. Pace of Modern Life: Everyday life moves quickly, and there is often little time or space for the extended period of mourning that Grief requires. People may feel pressure to maintain normalcy and avoid “bringing down the mood” in social interactions. In Philosophical Terms: Traditional philosophy, particularly from the Stoics onward, has often focused on how to overcome or control emotions like ‘Grief’ through reason, rather than exploring its inherent value or meaning. The goal was often ataraxia (a state of freedom from emotional disturbance) which positions Grief as something to be managed, rather than discussed openly. Solomon (2007) states that the avoidance of Grief stems from a human disposition to: Shield ourselves and others from intense pain and the profound existential challenges that Grief presents. On reflection, normative definitions explain Loss as the event of losing something or someone. However, death remains a curious mystery here a sense of loss and bewilderment is out of our control known as the ‘process’ or ‘stages’ of Grief, which I will strongly argue against. For me, Grief is nether inherently rational or irrational, as it a natural emotional, mental, and physical response to the loss of a loved one. However, everyone’s experience of Grief is different, both culturally and individually. When endeavouring to “draw out meaning” from Grief. Perhaps it is very subjective in the early stages, and more objective in the later stages, which may generate a new understanding of Grief as a philosophical concept. In this talk, I will be drawing on the work of C.S. Lewis (1963), Robert C. Solomon (2007) and Michael Cholbi (2022), in order to assess if philosophy can actually inform our understanding and meaning of Grief. **Ursula Mary Blythe** is a public philosopher, essayist, researcher, and someone who has experienced profound loss and grief in recent years. This event is sponsored by the Royal institute of Philosophy. Lecture and discussion! See you there? For the full programme of events pls see [pfalondon.org](http://pfalondon.org)

The Data Science Speakers Club is a Toastmasters International club enabling the current and next generation of Data Scientists to improve their Public Speaking Skills. This is a HYBRID Meeting! So join us Online via Teams or In-Person. Joining the Data Science Speakers Club means joining a supportive environment to build your confidence in public speaking and to practice speaking in front of an audience. You will also gain the opportunity to receive feedback on your speeches in a friendly environment, including what you have done well and guidance on the areas you can improve upon. We also run a mentorship program where an experienced mentor supports you on your public speaking journey. Meeting Theme: **TBC** Tentative Schedule: 18:30 - President's welcome 18:40 - Prepared Speeches (3 prepared speeches with evaluation) 19:25 - Guest introduction 19:30 - Break 19:40 - Special Guest Workshop 20:30 - Wrap up, awards, announcements End of Meeting The theme is to do with exploring various aspects of power, including how it is distributed, challenged, and transformed in different contexts. In the first part, there will be speeches. In the second half, we will a special guest workshop. We meet on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Mondays of each month from 6:30 pm online. Each meeting is a mixture of prepared speeches by our members, speaking roles, and impromptu speaking challenges by members and guests. Our meetings are free to attend and you only have to speak if you want to. For in-person attendance, snacks will be provided. Entrepreneurs, Innovators, and Mathematical and Logical Thinkers aiming to focus on their communication and leadership development are always welcome to attend our meetings, to increase their self-confidence, become better speakers, and become better leaders. TEAMS LINK: [https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/38930743010393?p=z37xAfyfuWQYw8dLHk](https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/38930743010393?p=z37xAfyfuWQYw8dLHk "Meeting join") FACEBOOK: [https://www.facebook.com/datasciencespk/](https://www.facebook.com/datasciencespk/) LINKEDIN: [https://www.linkedin.com/company/data-science-speakers-club](https://www.linkedin.com/company/data-science-speakers-club) TWITTER: [https://twitter.com/datasciencespk](https://twitter.com/datasciencespk) INSTAGRAM: [https://www.instagram.com/datasciencespk/](https://www.instagram.com/datasciencespk/)

ATTEND IN PERSON OR ONLINE This event is sponsored by the Royal institute of Philosophy. Lecture and discussion! See you there? For the full programme of events pls see pfalondon.org

**Kindly note that this is a paid event and the average number of attendees for our events is 60-70 people. You can register on [https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/london-business-networking-at-mayfair-hay-hill-for-directors-entrepreneurs-tickets-1980192285431?aff=meetup](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/london-business-networking-at-mayfair-hay-hill-for-directors-entrepreneurs-tickets-1980192285431?aff=meetup)** Join an in‑person business networking evening at 12 Hay Hill in Mayfair, London Join leading **entrepreneurs, investors, company directors, and business professionals** for an exclusive networking experience in Mayfair. Hosted at the prestigious Hay Hill private members club, this London Connector event brings together high-level decision-makers to build meaningful relationships, explore new opportunities, and grow their network in a premium setting. Connect with like-minded leaders, spark collaborations, and enjoy a powerful evening designed to elevate your business. ## **Our unique venue is:** Set in a stunning six-story building at **Berkeley Square, Hay Hill** is unique as it combines the luxury of a private members club with the business focus of a co-working environment, pioneering the concept of the club working, all in the heart of Mayfair. For our event, we have reserved an area of the venue with a cash bar, so that we can mix and mingle and meet old and new friends, new contacts, and, why not, new clients too! ## **Program** The format of the evening is 'mix and mingle', meet like-minded business leaders and entrepreneurs and investors in a relaxed environment. Our team is onsite to facilitate meaningful introductions. We connect at a human-to-human level, and prefer building relationships. ## **How many people are attending?** We have a **maximum capacity of 80 guests** for this venue and given the popularity of our events and the nature of the venue that hosts us, **this one is predicted to be sold out in advance also because on average for each event we run 30-40 places are booked by our members who have joined the yearly membership. Early booking is truly and highly recommended.** The reason the events we organize are so successful is that we follow a very simple, but effective formula. A couple of days before the event **we create a WhatsApp group with those attendees who wish to start getting to know each other**. This allows each participant to set up meetings with those they wish to meet during (or even before) the event. On the day of the event, you will find a relaxed environment, and a welcoming and supportive crowd. **Our team will be at the venue to introduce you to anybody specific you'd like to talk to.** Guests will have access to the part of the Club reserved for our event, but not to other private areas of Hay Hill Club. You can book a private tour though. **Dress code: business casual (no trainers, no jeans)** **Refund policy. Tickets bought in advance are generally cheaper than those bought on the day of the event and for this reason cannot be refunded. They can be reassigned to another person of your choice.** **Event Disclaimer** Please note that photos and videos may be taken during this event. These may be used on our social media channels and promotional materials to showcase our events. If you prefer not to appear in any photos or videos, please inform the event host upon arrival, and we will ensure your preference is respected. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.#Business #Businessevent #businessnetworking #Businessprofessional #Londonevent #Networking * [United Kingdom Events](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/d/united-kingdom/events/) * [Greater London Events](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/d/united-kingdom--greater-london/events/) * [Things to do in London](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/ttd/united-kingdom--london/) * [London Networking](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/d/united-kingdom--london/networking/) * [London Business Networking](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/d/united-kingdom--london/business--networking/) * [#business](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/d/united-kingdom--london/%23business/) * [#networking](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/d/united-kingdom--london/%23networking/) * [#investment](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/d/united-kingdom--london/%23investment/) * [#startup](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/d/united-kingdom--london/%23startup/) * [#networkingevent](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/d/united-kingdom--london/%23networkingevent/) * [#london](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/d/united-kingdom--london/%23london/) * [#businessnetworking](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/d/united-kingdom--london/%23businessnetworking/) * [#january](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/d/united-kingdom--london/%23january/) * [#networkingmeeting](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/d/united-kingdom--london/%23networkingmeeting/) * [#business_professional](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/d/united-kingdom--london/%23business_professional/)

**Check Updates [6/1/26]** * For the foreseeable future, the session will now be games only, due to the venue reducing our session to 6 courts only! * The Collctiv payment link now closes at 10am Mon (unpaid bookings will be withdrawn and need to rebook via AutoPay) * Strict Adherence to Late Cancellation & Refund/Credit policy **Booking & Payment Details** * **First RSVP,** then **use this [COLLCTIV](https://pay.collctiv.com/monday-games-only-7162)\* payment link** **until 10am Mon** * \*Contributions toward the Collctiv App is optional, untick it! * **[Click Here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pMsg6dATGes2pM59YuuzQBXabl882VvvXeDby0Y2usc/edit?usp=sharing)** to see full details regarding Collctiv * * **After 10am (AutoPay) payments made via Meetup/PayPal** (fees inc), and any unpaid bookings will be withdrawn, but can rebook if a space is available **Social Badminton only**\- this session is suitable for Beginners & Improvers players\. Until further notice\, there will be no coaching options\. See details below\! **SESSION DETAILS** * 18 Payers Max, 3 Courts used (out of 6) * Feather Shuttles Provided. Bring your own racket * **Time** \- 8\.00pm till 10\.00pm * **Cost** \- from £10 per person \(book early to avoid a booking fee\) * Strict Cancellation, No Show & Refund Policy! (see T&C's Below) * * **Updates & Notifications** Make sure to have your meetup notifications on, but you may also want to join our below for further updates and specific info Click here > **[Join the WhatsApp channel for updates/notifications](https://chat.whatsapp.com/LYNr3QXv8Pg48NXSu02UKA)** **TERMS & CONDITIONS** * **You must RSVP on MEETUP, and pay as instructed!** * If you plans change and you cannot attend, update your RSVP immediately! * **[Click Here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/12WmILk6X9dwgf_W0Cm6kgswKeW4ovHDTN8TBvN4Gq10/edit?usp=sharing)** to view details for Full Details By RSVPing for this event you confirm you have read and agree to our T&C's **Dress Code, Well Being, Conduct & Equal Opportunity:** Please ensure that you wear suitable clothing and footwear for indoor sporting activity. Ensure than your jewellery is also kept to a minimal, and avoid wearing large ear rings, chains or bracelets/bangles. Your health and safety in important to us, so if needed please seek advice from your doctor before playing any sports. You are also responsible for warming up/cooling down stretches to reduce the risk of strains/ injuries. Please understand that you play at your own risk as Crossfire Badminton Club will not be held responsible for any injuries incurred. We welcome players of all backgrounds, and treat everyone equally with respect. This is also expected from our participants. If you fail to do this, you may be asked to leave the session, or even banned from future sessions

**Who this is for** If you like content by the likes of [Tim Ferriss](https://tim.blog/), [My First Million](https://www.mfmpod.com/), [Codie Sanchez](https://codiesanchez.com/), and sites such as [ideabrowser.com](http://ideabrowser.com/), [needstoexist.com](http://needstoexist.com/), [explodingtopics.com](http://explodingtopics.com/), [solarimpulse.com/solutions-explorer](http://solarimpulse.com/solutions-explorer), and [r/SomebodyMakeThis](https://www.reddit.com/r/SomebodyMakeThis/), I think you'll enjoy this! Every few weeks, half a dozen of us get together at a pub to discuss business ideas - ones we've come up with from our own experiences, ones we've discovered that piqued our intereseted, ones we've seen elsewhere working and are interested in bringing here. We share knowledge and insight, challenge assumptions behind if an idea will idea succeed or fail, connect our relevant networks, and support others on their entrepreneurial journeys. **Some questions to spur ideation** 📈 What are local/global trends and societal shifts? 💸 Where do I currently spend my money? 😤 What annoys me in life? ✨ What do I wish existed? 🔀 What if you crossed X with Y? Or gave A the business model of B? Idea sex! **Some possible themes** 👵 Aging population and decreasing birth rates 🧬 Healthspan vs lifespan ⚡ Electrification of everything 🔁 X as a service (instead of ownership) 🏘️ Third spaces / communities **Who this is *not* for...** If you're only into AI and Blockchain, this probably isn't for you. They're incredible technologies, and of course we'll discuss them, but there are already dozens groups in London obsessed with building ChatGPT wrappers to solve a problem no-one has. This is a problem-first approach. **Other info** Near Waterloo station; exact location given to attendees. Given I'm keeping numbers small, instead of first-come-first-served, please fill out this quick form: [https://forms.gle/3R2rt5AmxsFRqxJU6](https://forms.gle/3R2rt5AmxsFRqxJU6)

Join us at Pimlico Hall on Tuesday evenings for an uplifting experience as we come together to sing about 20-25 songs in various languages. Enjoy a delicious spread of hot food and cold snacks, complemented by warm and refreshing drinks. For more details, reach out to Navtam via WhatsApp at 07376 266933.

Hello and welcome to our next **Cloud Platform Engineering London** meetup. This event brings together platform engineers, SREs, architects, and engineering leaders working across modern cloud platforms, internal developer platforms, reliability, and large-scale delivery. Our meetups are friendly, welcoming, and community-driven; everyone is welcome, whether you’re experienced in the space or just starting your platform journey. This session will include practitioner talks, demos, Q&A, and time for networking with like-minded peers. We run bi-monthly in-person meetups in London, so make sure to look out for future events on our meetup page. Food and refreshments will be provided for in-person events where a host venue is supporting. We are delighted to host this event in **London** on the **5th of February**. **Speakers and Sessions:** Speaker: **[Steve Fenton](https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevefenton/)**, Principal DevEx Researcher at Octopus Deploy Session Title: Platform Engineering Research Description: I'll share insights from the Platform Engineering Pulse Report and share some of the gaps between theory and reality the research exposed. Speaker: **[Sean M. Tracey](https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanmtracey/),** Founding Technologist at Mitchell Technologies Session Title: I've built a Cloud Platform, and You Can Too! Description: How do you build a cloud platform? Where do you even start with something like that? Can one person do it on their own? Well, it starts with getting a hold of a bunch of computers, and then it gets a little more complicated from there. In this talk, I'll cover everything I've learned from building fledgling.cloud - a PaaS Cloud built specifically for developers and their side-projects, and how you can build one too! Speaker: **[Immo Hüneke](https://www.linkedin.com/in/immo-huneke-27b121/)**, Expert DevOps Engineer at Zühlke Engineering Session Title: The Platform Plane - an instant software factory Description: The Platform Plane simplifies your development process, boosts productivity, and helps you deliver better software faster while integrating all your existing technology. This presentation and demo will show how Zühlke employs its Internal Development Platform to be productive from Day One of a customer project, "shift left" and let developers concentrate on developing. Instead of a building site, your new project starts off in an efficiently humming software factory environment. **Agenda (GMT / UK):** 18:00 — Welcome and refreshments 18:30 — Introduction — Ethan Sumner 18:35 — **[Steve Fenton](https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevefenton/)** 19:10 — Break 19:20 — **[Sean M. Tracey](https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanmtracey/)** 19:55 - **[Immo Hüneke](https://www.linkedin.com/in/immo-huneke-27b121/)** 20:30 — Close and networking **We are always keen to hear from:** • Speakers — case studies, engineering deep dives, lessons learned, platform stories • Hosts — organisations able to provide space for future meetups • Sponsors — support with refreshments, recording, marketing or accessibility If you would like to speak, sponsor, or host a future event, please get in touch with **[Ethan Sumner](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethansumner404/)** via LinkedIn. You can find our YouTube channel **[here.](https://www.youtube.com/@CommunityStackHQ)** This community forms part of the **[Community Stack ecosystem](https://www.meetup.com/pro/generative-ai-uk-community/)** and follows the **Community Stack Code of Conduct**, ensuring a respectful, inclusive, and welcoming environment for all attendees.

**Welcome to our Official Members Club Night!** * See our new payment terms, prices & updates below! * **Suitable for Higher Intermediate to Advance players!** Many of our players compete at a Division 1 Level in the local leagues! * **Guests of a suitable standard welcomed (if interested in playing league matches do enquire)** * To maintain the level of the session, it may be necessary to direct a player to one of our other nights at their suitable level! **New Payment Terms, Prices & Updates (from 9/9/25)** * **Make your payment when you RSVP** (bank details below), don't leave it till later! (unless on waiting list) * If you don't complete the above you will be removed from the list/added to waiting list! See T&C's below! * **Members and Guests prices have increased!** (see below) **SESSION DETAILS** **VENUE** \- Harris Girls Academy East Dulwich\, SE22 0NR **TIME** \- 7\.30pm till 10pm **COURTS** \- 4 **SHUTTLES** \- Quality Feather Shuttles **COST** - **Annual Members £10 per session / Non-Members £14** * Pay when you RSVP, or you will be moved to 'Not Going' * Membership (only applicable for Wed sessions) For details regarding membership email - [sandra1.crossfire@gmail.com](mailto:sandra1.crossfire@gmail.com) Please note Membership may not always be available for different reasons! **BOOKING YOUR SPACE** **1 - RSVP & Pay via Bank Transfer to NatWest Account Details below** * **PLEASE MAKE YOUR PAYMENT WHEN YOU RSVP!** If you delay in making your payment, your spot will be removed without notice, and placed in the the waiting list or not attending **PAYMENT DETAILS** * Bank - NatWest * Account Name - Crossfire Badminton Club * Sort Code - 60-24-25 * Account no - 10579109 * Reference - Your Name & Session date * * **Waiting List** \- Be sure to have notifications on from Meetup to know if/when you are allocated a spot\! It is your responsibility to keep update\. Payment will be required promptly to secure your place\! Cancellation & No\-Show policies apply\. * If you take to long to secure your spot, you will be removed from the waiting list, giving other players a chance to book! **\*\*\*\* TERMS & CONDITIONS \*\*\*\*** **RSVP & UPDATING STATUS -** \~ You can only RSVP on this website! A prompt payment will be required unless you're on the waiting list. ( a delay in payment could mean you lose your spot! \~ **You can RSVP until 7pm the latest on Wednesday!** However do note the cancellation policy/times below! \~ If you have **RSVP'd and your plans change, please update/change your RSVP immediately!** So that other players have a chance to book! \~ No rackets are provided **CANCELLATION /NO SHOW POLICY & PENALTY FEE** **This session does not give a refund**, however, if you cancel your RSVP before 48hrs of the session start time, we are happy to transfer your payment to the following Wednesday session upon request! (Contact Sandra) **No Show Penalty**. A £5 penalty will be enforced which is payable before attending a future session. Repeat offenders will not be allowed to attend other sessions! \~ **Waiting List** **\- Please do keep an eye on any updates as you will be automatically added if someone cancels\, and required to make your payment ASAP to secure your place**. Cancellation/ No-Show policies apply! \~ Please understand that a 'No Excuses accepted!' policy will be taken, and understand that purpose of the penalty system is to maintain the value of the session, and allow us to plan accordingly. We thank you for your understanding and support! Toilets will be available, but changing rooms & showers will be closed, so arrive dressed to play **DRESS CODE, WELL-BEING, CONDUCT & EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES:** Please ensure that you wear suitable clothing and footwear for indoor sporting activity. Ensure than your jewellery is also kept to a minimal, and avoid wearing large ear rings, chains or bracelets/bangles. If your footwear and/or clothing is not suitable you might not be able to participate in the session. No refund of transfer of session fees applicable! Your health and safety in important to us, so if needed please seek advice from your doctor before playing any sports. You are also responsible for warming up/cooling down stretches to reduce the risk of strains/ injuries. Please understand that you play at your own risk as Crossfire Badminton Club will not be held responsible for any injuries incurred. We welcome players of all backgrounds, and treat everyone equally with respect. This is also expected from our participants. If you fail to do this, you may be asked to leave the session, or even banned from future sessions Thank you for all your understanding and support CrossFire Badminton Club

Join us for an exciting deep dive into the future of Kafka architecture and the intersection of AI with data streaming! Learn how diskless Kafka is revolutionising cloud-native deployments and discover how to interact with your Kafka data using natural language. **Date and Time: 🗓️** Wednesday 4th February, ⏰ 18:00 - 20:30 PM 🕘 **Venue:** Lacon House, London WC1X 8NL, United Kingdom **Attending Brands**: OSO, Aiven, Lenses **Schedule:** 18:00: Doors Open 18:00 - 18:30: Food, drinks, networking 18:30 - 19:00: "Diskless Kafka" - Hugh Evans, Aiven 19:00 \- 19:30: “How Lenses MCP Brings AI to Kafka \| Talk to Your Data with Claude & MCP" \- Tun Shew\, Lenses\.io 19:30- 20:30pm: Additional Q&A, Networking **🎙️ \~Talk 1\~** **Talk Title:** Diskless Kafka **Summary:** Summary: Deep dive into KIP-1150 and the future of diskless Kafka, why diskless matters in cloud-native deployments, rerouting replication to object storage, and how diskless and traditional topics can coexist in one cluster. This talk explores the fundamental architectural shift that allows Kafka to leverage cloud object storage for data persistence, reducing operational complexity and costs while maintaining the performance characteristics that make Kafka the backbone of modern data infrastructure. **🗣️ Speaker 1:** Hugh Evans is at Aiven **🎙️ \~Talk 2\~** **Talk Title:** Go Faster on Kafka with AI-Assisted Engineering (Without Summoning Consumer Lag Demons) **Summary:** Are you spending more time wrestling with Kafka configurations and debugging consumer lag than shipping real-time products? The era of AI-assisted engineering is here to change that. This talk takes you on a journey through the evolution of developer tools, moving from the editor wars of the past to a seamless AI-integrated future. We will demonstrate how next-generation tools like Cursor and Claude Code, paired with the Lenses MCP server, allow you to explore, manage and debug your Kafka environment simply using natural language. Through practical demos, you will see how to design robust topic strategies, apply governance best practices and deploy streaming data pipelines using any framework of your choice in seconds. We'll explore the best ways to shift your mindset towards leveraging an AI copilot and you'll leave with a list of actionable tips to enhance your daily routine and increase your productivity with AI today. **🗣️ Speaker 1:** Tun Shwe, Lenses.io

We invite you all, whatever your calling – musician, comedian, poet, artist, spectator – to join our bubbling melting pot of creativity at the Fiddler's Elbow in Camden. On the first Tuesday of each month, gain respite from the busy streets of London by joining us in this inspiring space, where we celebrate all types of human creativity. For any interested in performing, all slots are 7 minutes max. We platform all types of act (except bands), but **we** **do not tolerate racism, homophobia, sexism, misogyny, transphobia etc. We want to celebrate people, not cause harm.** Please be mindful of what you say and its impact. For more info, please email bubblebathopenmic@gmail.com. If you are keen to take to the stage, sign up from 7pm and slots are 7 minutes. Email **bubblebathopenmic@gmail.com** for more info. The night will kick off at 7.30pm and last until 10.15pm-ish. The event is pay what you will, so that no one is prevented from joining, but we do have running costs (we pay for the sound technician & the Meetup subscription). Donations from those able to give are appreciated, so we don't end up out of pocket. Join us to get your molecules jostling with excitement, inspiration and ideas. And remember, if you like bubbles and baths, you'll love Bubblebath.

Hi folks! Welcome to our February Cloud Native London meetup! Join us to hear from our three great speakers and network with your fellow techies over pizza and drinks, or alternatively chat and following along on Youtube! 6:00 Pizza and drinks 6:30 Welcome 6:45 Stop Running Mystery Meat in Production (Jeroen van Erp, SUSE) 7:15 Prithvi Raj, Mirantis (Talk TBC) 7:45 Break 8:00 Beyond Chatbots: How AI Agents and Humanoids Are Shaping a New Era (Akshya Prakkash, Urban Care Community) 8:30 Wrap up Sponsors: TechShack, Cloudsmith, SUSE See you there! Cheryl (@oicheryl) **Stop Running Mystery Meat in Production (Jeroen van Erp, SUSE)** We have all been there. You need a database or a quick node environment, so you throw FROM node:latest into your Dockerfile and deploy. It works, but you have just introduced a black box into your Kubernetes cluster. For the Developer, it’s a quick fix. For the Platform Engineer, it’s a nightmare. Most upstream images from public registries are a roll of the dice. They come pre-packed with critical vulnerabilities, unknown binaries, and bloated libraries that you didn’t ask for and definitely don’t want running in your secure environment. In a world of Zero Trust, why are we trusting random upstream maintainers with the keys to our infrastructure? *Jeroen van Erp is a technology evangelist at SUSE, specializing in the observability platform. With a rich background spanning engineering, architecture and product management, Jeroen brings over a decade of experience in the DevOps space. Before joining SUSE, he played a pivotal role as technical slliance director at StackState, where he helped shape the future of observability. As a trainer and speaker, Jeroen is known for his ability to distill complex technical concepts into actionable insights. He is passionate about solving challenging technical problems, whether through mentoring or hands-on involvement. An active contributor to the open source community, Jeroen maintains several highly starred repositories. When he’s not diving into the latest technology trends, Jeroen enjoys spending time on his mini-farm, where he cares for his sheep and shares his love for rural life.* *https://www.linkedin.com/in/jvanerp/* **Beyond Chatbots: How AI Agents and Humanoids Are Shaping a New Era (Akshya Prakkash, Urban Care Community)** Chatbots introduced the world to AI, but they are only the starting point. A new wave of systems - AI agents and humanoid technologies is shifting AI from conversation to action. This talk explores how AI is evolving beyond text-based interaction into systems that can perceive environments, make decisions and operate in the real world. Drawing from hands-on experience with agent-based AI projects and robotic platforms in community and care settings, we’ll examine what makes these systems different, the challenges of trust and why this shift represents a new era for human-AI interaction. Join this session to see how AI is beginning to act, not just respond. *BSc Computer Science Hons @ UOW & Software Developer at UCC* *LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/akshya-pv/* *Check out [https://www.oicheryl.com/cloudnativelondon](https://www.oicheryl.com/cloudnativelondon) if you're interested in speaking or sponsoring.*

### Tools in your AI's Toolbox : An introduction to MCP Servers The generative AI revolution has unlocked unprecedented capabilities, but the next frontier is agency: empowering models to interact with, query, and act upon the world. The current challenge is the “N x M integration problem,” where every AI model requires a custom, brittle integration for each external tool or data source. This approach simply doesn’t scale. How can we give an AI access to our sales leads, code repositories, or IoT devices in a standardized, secure, and reusable way? This session introduces Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol (MCP), the open-source framework designed to solve this challenge and become the universal connector—the USB-C port—for AI. MCP standardizes how AI models discover and use external tools, moving beyond simple function-calling to a robust, client-server architecture. We will dive into how this open protocol is creating a new ecosystem for building powerful, context-aware AI agents. Join this session for a developer-focused introduction where you will learn how to: Understand the core concepts of the open-source Model Context Protocol and its architecture. Utilize pre-built, open-source MCP servers to instantly connect AI to tools like Git, Slack, and databases. Build a custom MCP server to securely expose your own proprietary data and APIs as tools for any compliant AI. Move beyond bespoke integrations and contribute to a standardized, collaborative, and open ecosystem. Stop building one-off connectors and start building intelligent agents. This session will give you the practical knowledge to leverage MCP and create the next generation of AI that doesn’t just talk, but does. Want to be a speaker? submit your talk to our Call for Presenters!!! [https://sessionize.com/azure-cbus-2026/](https://sessionize.com/azure-cbus-2026/)

We will show a variety of methods for building agents that run in Microsoft Foundry. This covers the different types of agents: Prompt, Multi, and Hosted, as well as the development lifecycle using evals and traces.

I love my job and one of the main things I do is help customers get going with any of the data technologies at Microsoft. Right now there are a lot of my customers asking about Microsoft Fabric. It's hard to weave across all the shiny new options across the Fabric landscape, let alone figure out where it fits into your organization. In this session we'll focus on answering one question - how can I get data into Fabric? We'll talk through the "it depends" options and see some of the options in live demos.

Columbus Code & Coffee is an inclusive, informal co-working session. People of all skill levels attend, and we love it that way. Many people (optionally) bring projects to work on, and many other people (optionally) socialize the entire time. It's entirely up to you! **What to Expect at the Intro Circle** \~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~ Near the beginning of the event (1:30 pm), we do a standup: * Organizer announcements, updates, and logistics Round 1 - (7 secs max): * Your name * What you're working on * What you can help others with Round 2: * Community events you wanna plug. If none, that's cool too. Round 3: * Job opportunities you're hiring for OR announce that you are looking for one. If none, that's cool. After the introduction circle, everything is self-organized! Feel free to work alone, pair up, attend one of our workshops/presentations, or mingle!

**Important time note:** Please plan on arriving between 5:30 and 6:00 as the elevators lock after 6 and you'll need to message us and we'll need to come get you. The building address is 4450 Bridge Park The entrance is 6620 Mooney St, Suite 400 **Abstract** TBD **YouTube Link** TBA

Christians in Tech is a community at the intersection of faith and technology. Our meetups are designed to spark meaningful conversations, promote knowledge sharing, and encourage growth—both in your career and your spiritual walk with God. Whether you're an experienced professional or just starting your tech journey, CIT welcomes you. Our Website [https://linktr.ee/citcbus](https://linktr.ee/citcbus) Sponsors and Partners * Improving (Venue Sponsor) * Bethel World Prayer Center (Fiscal Sponsor) * Fruits & Roots (Coffee Partner)

HYBRID EVENT, VIRTUAL SPEAKER In this talk, Sean Hoar will explore the transformative journey of AI’s role in modern software engineering, from rapid prototyping (“Vibe Coding”) to strategic AI integration by skilled practitioners. It clarifies the distinctions between AI-assisted, AI-enabled, and practitioner-led approaches, offering insights into how developers can effectively adapt to and harness AI tools. The presentation also highlights recent advancements and practical strategies for leveraging AI in daily workflows and long-term development.